


with wild hope

by tattooedsiren



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-11
Updated: 2012-10-11
Packaged: 2017-11-16 03:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/534793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tattooedsiren/pseuds/tattooedsiren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike decides it's time to take his and Harvey's relationship to the next level, so while Harvey is out one evening Mike moves in to his apartment. But the thing is, they aren't actually together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	with wild hope

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea that was kinda ridiculous and borderline cracky and I thought it would be a good challenge to see if I could write it in a believable way. You guys can let me know if I succeeded. :O)
> 
> As always, thanks to my awesome beta [smartalli](http://archiveofourown.org/users/smartalli/pseuds/smartalli).

Mike's legs bounce from nerves. His elbows dig into his jittery thighs and his fingers twist amongst one another. He tries not to watch the front door for signs of movement but it never lasts long, his eyes always drawn back to the dark wooden door, waiting for its owner to walk through it.

He can't remember the last time he felt this nervous. He wasn’t this terrified when he walked into the Chilton with a briefcase of pot, he wasn't this anxious when Jessica found out the truth about him and his whole career hung in the balance, he wasn't this scared when Tanner came after Harvey and they nearly lost him to a bullshit case that spiralled out of control. 

Rolling the events over in his mind, he realizes how intertwined he and Harvey are. They are so involved in each other's lives there would be no way to extract the one from the other without causing irreparable damage. The thought is both terrifying and reassuring. It's terrifying, because if this goes wrong, if he loses Harvey because of it, he honestly doesn’t know what that means for him and his place in the world. But it's also reassuring, because it means that this is what everything has been building towards, that because neither of them have tapped out despite the copious opportunities they've both had then they both really want this, or something like it.

At last the sounds of a key turning in a lock echo in the room. Mike takes one last deep breath and braces himself, sitting straighter and watching Harvey walk through the door.

Harvey doesn't even notice him at first. Despite the fact that his apartment lights are on when he had turned them all off before he left that morning, he just drops his briefcase to the floor and flicks through the pile of mail in his hands.

When he finally realizes something is amiss he looks up and spots Mike. He's definitely startled, but he recovers quickly, putting the pile of envelopes onto the nearby kitchen counter and stepping forward. "Mike. Everything okay?"

Mike can't help but smile at that. Because four years ago, the first time Mike ever showed up to Harvey's apartment, he didn't even make it past the front door. But now, when he discovers Mike has essentially broken and entered into his home (well, there was no real breaking involved, he stole a spare key from Donna, but still) his first response is concern. They've come a long way.

Mike nods, but remains silent. Now that the moment has come he can't find the words. He has been thinking about this for months (well, the initial idea came to him three months ago, the interim was just him gathering the courage more than anything else) and now that the moment is here, all the words he had prepared, the speeches and declarations, they just don't seem like enough. Because Harvey is looking so intently at him, taking Mike's silence as confirmation that there actually _is_ something wrong, and he looks so worried, like he is ready to go out and battle whatever demon has caused Mike to be incapable of speech. 

And Mike is so in love with him.

"I'm fine," Mike eventually says, and even though he tries to hide it Mike catches Harvey's small exhale of relief. But because he still isn't ready to say the words yet, he asks, "How was dinner?"

Harvey just looks at him for a moment, and Mike knows that Harvey thinks it a poor attempt at deflection (and of course he's right – as if he would steal into Harvey's home just for the sole purpose of asking how a business dinner went, when a question as insignificant as that could really be asked over phone or email or in person the next day). But Harvey lets him get away with it, taking a seat on the couch opposite Mike and saying, "Good. Jacobson was suitably wooed. He'll be signing in the morning."

Mike nods, but makes no reply beyond that. The silence feels stifling in a way their silences never do. They can go a whole afternoon working together in Harvey's office with barely a word spoken the entire time. It's easy, natural, and this doesn't feel anything like that.

"Please tell me wh-" Harvey breaks off, because he has just noticed something behind Mike. Mike turns to look, to see what Harvey sees, even though he knows exactly what's there. It's the half-dozen large cardboard boxes, moving boxes, that Mike piled into a cab and brought with him.

Mike takes a deep breath, wants to look away but steals himself against the impulse and meets Harvey's gaze. Harvey looks back and forth between Mike and the boxes a few times, clearly confused. 

"What's this?" Harvey finally asks. "What are you moving in or something?"

His voice is light, almost laughing, and just for a moment Mike regrets every decision he has ever made which has led him here. But he pushes through the doubt. For this to work, for _them_ to work, he needs to have more faith, he needs to be certain.

"Yup," Mike replies, trying to infuse his voice with some levity while still sounding serious enough for Harvey to realize he isn't joking,

Harvey looks to him, completely confused, a silent plea for clarification. Mike smiles nervously in reply, face cast downwards as his hands rub together as though they were cold. And when he looks back up Mike can see the moment the light bulb above Harvey's head burns bright.

"Mike," Harvey says, so gentle and full of so many emotions. And Mike can hear them all. He can hear the surprise at Mike's bold move, his admiration of the courage it took, the uncertainty of what this could mean for them, the hope that comes with all the possibilities Mike is proposing. There is a world of color and feeling in the way Harvey says that one little word, those four letters he has said a million times before, and Mike can hear everything.

"We've been dancing around each other for four years, Harvey. _Four years_. Aren't you tired?"

Harvey takes a deep breath, exhales slowly. He's stalling for time, but Mike lets him. He must've blindsided Harvey with this, and he has enough grace to give Harvey this moment. And finally Harvey closes his eyes and nods.

"One of us had to make the first move. Lucky me got to be the one."

"This isn't just making a move. This is moving in."

Mike smiles. "You know what they say: go big or go home."

Harvey laughs lightly. "Except you have apparently moved out of yours."

Mike grins, and it feels so right, to be sitting in the same space and smiling at each other. And Mike feels some of the tension flow from his body. There were a million ways this could have gone, and Mike can admit that he thought it was a likely possibility that Harvey would have dismissed him completely. And while he hasn't exactly jumped at the opportunity Mike is presenting, he at least seems open to it. 

"Do you remember that night we won the Miller case?" Mike asks.

If Harvey feels thrown by this seemingly random change of topic he doesn't show it. Instead he smiles, almost shyly, tongue wetting his lower lip, and Mike can't help but wonder if he is reliving the evening.

It was nearly two years ago now. The case, while not exactly their biggest or most decisive win, was a win nonetheless, and they decided to grab some dinner after work. This wasn't an unusual occurrence – at that point in their friendship the occasional dinner or after work drinks had become a normal part of their relationship. And there were no flashing lights that indicated that this time would be any different. 

So they went to a restaurant in the Village. It was small and pretentious and Harvey fit right in. Mike had felt less comfortable, still didn't feel like be belonged in this fast-paced and high-flying world. But he was with Harvey, and he knew even then that that was where he belonged.

Dinner turned into drinks at a bar two blocks over. They played a game of darts (and when Mike won Harvey insisted they change to pool) and five games of pool (of which Harvey won the majority). Mike wouldn't say they were drunk, slightly tipsy maybe, but no matter how much they might wish otherwise in the light of day, they were both still in complete control of all their faculties.

Harvey kissed him first. Mike had made an impossible shot on the pool table, sinking two balls including the black to win the game, and Mike had looked up, grinning, to see a slack-jawed Harvey gaping at him. Mike stood and sauntered around the table, stopping only when his whole body was only a hairsbreadth from Harvey's. He made some smartass comment about showing Harvey how it was done and they bantered back and forth a few times before Harvey quieted Mike by closing the gap between them and kissing him.

Mike had been completely stunned, but not too stunned that he didn't kiss back. They kissed slowly, sensuously, Mike trying to get his body even closer. They didn't even open their mouths to each other, just moved their lips to a quiet rhythm like they had all the time in the world. And when they broke apart Harvey grinned and declared the next game was his.

The evening continued on. More pool was played. Kisses were stolen between shots, sometimes just a mere peck, sometimes lingering with wandering hands. Mike had already known his feelings for Harvey exceeded the typical boss/subordinate parameters, that they had for a long time. If he was honest, it started that day Mike threatened to quit during his first week and Harvey chased him down and made him realize how much he wanted to stay. And really, he didn't think he could be blamed. Who wouldn't fall in love with a man who completely changed their life for the better, who fought for him when he could've just watched him walk away? But that one night, in the small and smoky bar, he finally grasped just how hard he had fallen.

Their last kiss of the evening was after Harvey had won their final game. Mike had wrapped his fingers around Harvey's wrist and dragged him into a dark corner, throwing his arms around Harvey's shoulders and kissing him deeply. Harvey pushed them those final few steps until Mike was pressed against the wall. They made out like teenagers, tongues dancing in a perfect rhythm. Whenever one of them pulled away, usually Harvey, the other just gave them a moment by pressing their foreheads together or trailing soft kisses along their jaw before returning to claim their lips once more.

But that was all it was destined to be. When they exited the bar into the cool night air, Harvey hailed a cab and deposited Mike into it. Mike had made it pretty clear that he would like to continue the night together at one of their places, and he remembers thinking that Harvey's smile in reply had been sad, like he was remembering a beautiful dream he had just awoken from in the cold light of day. Harvey simply said he would see him at work the next day before closing the door and tapping on the roof of the cab before it drove away.

And then, the next day, it was like none of it had ever happened.

"Of course I remember," Harvey tells him. "I may not have a genius memory but spending the night making out with my associate is not something I'm likely to forget."

Hope springs in Mike's chest. He is desperate to cross the room to Harvey, wants to feel his skin, warm and real beneath his hands. But it's not time for that, not yet. He settles for shifting slightly forward in his seat.

"I get why you pretended that it never happened. I really do. I mean, yeah, at the time I was pissed and confused, but it didn't take me too long to figure it out. It was too hard, too scary. You weren't ready yet. Hell, I probably wasn't even ready, I just didn't know it. But that was then and this is now. And I can't keep living like this. I can't keep pretending that we are just colleagues, just friends. We are more than that, so much more. We both know it. And I refuse to ignore it anymore."

"So you decided the best course of action was to move into my apartment?" Harvey asks. The words could so easily be heard as an admonishment, an incredulous reaction to a stupidly optimistic gamble. But Mike knows Harvey too well. He can't hide the amusement, the pride and respect he has for Mike for making such a bold move, at least, not from Mike.

Mike shrugs nonchalantly. "The way I figure it, if we had actually gotten together that night then this is the point our relationship would be at. I'm just catching us up, making up for lost time."

Harvey laughs, like he is so amused by Mike's own brand of logic. But he still hasn't said no. In fact, he leans forward and pins Mike under his full gaze. "You sound very sure of yourself."

"Honestly, I've never felt more terrified in my entire life," Mike admits with a rueful chuckle. "And you know what? It should feel weird, me essentially trying to talk you into a relationship so committed we jump straight to living together. But that's what we do. We talk. We take giant leaps forward. I talked you into hiring me four years ago. Seems only appropriate I talk you into a relationship today."

"Not very romantic, though," Harvey points out.

Mike quirks an eyebrow at him. Because … really? Romantic? "Is that what you want? Romance? Flowers and chocolates and candlelight and declarations of eternal love and devotion?"

"It couldn't hurt," Harvey deadpans, and after a moment of silence they both laugh.

Harvey takes a deep breath, standing from the couch and taking a few steps forward. Mike watches, and when Harvey quirks a finger he immediately stands and joins him.

"What I want…" Harvey says, reaching out to cup the back of his neck, his voice so low that Mike barely hears, "is you."

Mike grins. He kisses Harvey before the older man has a chance to take it back. The kiss is soft, tentative, the simple press of lips that confirm everything that they are to each other. It's almost exactly like Mike remembers, only better.

"And even though you didn't technically ask, the answer is yes," Harvey tells him.

"Answer to what?" Mike asks, half amused, half hopeful.

"Everything," Harvey grins.

Mike honestly feels like crying, so overwhelmed with joy he doesn't know how to express it. So he lunges forward, kissing Harvey. He immediately licks at Harvey's lips and the older man obliges, opening his mouth so Mike can invade it the way he has invaded every other aspect of his life, with passion and energy and absolutely no apology. Harvey slips a warm hand under Mike's t-shirt, lightly gripping his hip.

Mike breaks away, so quickly it leaves Harvey hanging there awkwardly. "Tell me," he demands, wild and desperate. "Please."

Of course Harvey knows to what he is referring. It's that last barrier, the emotion they both feel, that on some level they knew the other felt even though they remained silent. 

So Harvey presses his mouth to Mike's ear and whispers, "I love you, too."

Mike's eyes involuntarily flutter closed at the declaration, the relief he feels threatening to sap all the physical strength from his body. Harvey trails light open-mouthed kisses along his jaw line while Mike wraps his arms around Harvey to hang on for dear life.

Mike is ready and waiting when Harvey reaches his mouth. They kiss urgently. It's different now, with all those words out there, never to be taken back. This is it. This is what they had been walking towards from the moment they met. This is why Mike spent the last week packing up half his apartment, it's why he hauled his belongings across the city and waited in Harvey's apartment for the last two hours. It's the reason for everything.

"Just FYI," Mike says, breaking away from Harvey's kiss, ignoring the other man's frustrated groan, "I should probably disclaim that those six boxes are not the sum total of my possessions but I didn't think you'd take too kindly to me actually bringing over every single thing that I own. And I don't-"

"Mike," Harvey interrupts with a grin.

"Yeah?"

"You should really learn to quit while you're ahead," and before Mike can make any rebuttal Harvey silences him with a kiss.


End file.
